Using California’s Community Health Worker Initiatives to Address Intimate Partner Violence

The relationships community health workers (CHWs) and promotores have with their communities enable them to address intimate partner violence (IPV) and other health-related social needs (HRSN) through education, connection to services, and systems navigation. This policy brief presents recommendations to support the participation of community partners—including IPV service providers, community health centers, CHW advocacy organizations, other community-based organizations (CBOs), and health plans—in California’s efforts to expand and sustain CHW services, particularly those that address IPV. Drawing from conversations with subject matter experts and a review of existing CHW initiatives in California and other states, the brief offers recommendations in the following areas: planning and CBO readiness, service delivery model, payment model, recruitment and development, certification and training, and monitoring and tracking. Other states can adopt or adapt the actionable strategies in this brief.